Reflections on the Semester

It is hard to sum up the effects of my semester abroad into one blog post. I still think about it often. In the most simple sense, it allowed me to observe a new culture, speak a new language (better than before), and meet new people. And as clichéd as it sounds, immersing myself in so many new things was incredibly eye-opening. And I think the coolest thing about it was that it not only introduced me to a new world, but it also gave me perspective on my life back in the states--perspective I could never have gained without the physical and psychological distance. It made me realize things about myself that I had always taken for granted, things that might be normal in the US but aren't in France. It made me think about what I like about my life in the states and what aspects I might want to work on. And all of these reflections were coming at a good time, because now that I'm back, I'm a senior in college, which suddenly sounds very adult and real. While we were in Paris, we would joke about how weird it would be to come back to "real life"...and how it was even weirder that we were going to graduate in a year, and begin "real, REAL life." In some ways, my semester was a defined period of limbo where I didn't have to be carried by the natural momentum of a twenty-year-old's life. It was a lovely way to halt that for awhile (for example, I decided not to worry about trying to find a summer internship while I was there...it would be too difficult, and it wasn't something I wanted to concern myself with while abroad). And yet, five months is a long time, and by the end of the semester, I was ready to dive headfirst back into my world here.

And some of what I learned while abroad will help me dive into new and exciting experiences here, I think. For example, the language barrier ended up forcing me to be assertive and a bit more daring than usual. I had to learn to feel totally comfortable lunging into a conversation, even if I didn't feel comfortable with my conversation skills yet. Or going into a classroom full of only-French students, and then listening to an entire lecture in French, and then explaining to the professor that I wasn't on the rollcall list yet, because my program was different. You get the idea. I HAD to communicate with people even when I was terrified to, so now, I'm more used to dealing with nerve-wracking situations.

And all in all, spending so much time in France made me fall in love with this new country, and simultaneously re-appreciate things about America that I had taken for granted. Sometimes, I would be having an amazing time in Paris, and I would simultaneously be kind of homesick for the US. It was a strange feeling. And of course, now that I'm back in the US, I once again take the simplest things for granted...like having the signs be in English, or the stores open late, or access to Hulu and Netflix...All in all, going abroad was a life-changing experience, and to anyone even considering it, I would recommend it in an instant. I have never met anyone who regretted going abroad, and it has the potential to be absolutely amazing. I'm so thankful I was able to go, and now I'm ready to start new adventures this summer!

Traveling

I woke up on June 1 with mixed emotions: I was sad to leave Paris, but totally excited to see the US again. I said goodbye to Jean-Paul and took a shuttle to the airport. It was sad to say goodbye to him, since he had been so sweet and generous to me and had been sort of a surrogate family member while I was there. If I ever head back to Paris in the next few years, I know I'll be able to stay with him. When my shuttle came, he said, "A bientot!" ("See you soon!") and hugged me goodbye.

When I got to the airport, things began smoothly. I had bought my tickets with Iceland Air back in December, before any of this volcano nonsense had started. Even after the spring break debacle, I kept a wary eye to the news to make sure the second, larger volcano had not erupted. And lucky for me, it hadn't. But when natural disasters fail to inconvenience my life, the French bureaucracy steps in. I got to the airport in good time and got straight through security, but the plane was mysteriously delayed for over two hours at Charles de Gaule. When we finally boarded the plane, the pilot told us (in a noticeably frustrated voice) that the French government had been doing a surprise inspection of the plane. The plane passed the inspection, but it had been annoyingly thorough. When we finally took off, I relaxed again (this was my first plane ride with individual video screens, and I hadn't seen "Office Space" in years).

The bad news came at our layover in Iceland. Turns out, our connecting flight had already left for New York. The Iceland Air workers told us, without a hint of remorse, that there were no other planes leaving for New York until the next day, and that they would provide us with vouchers to stay overnight in a nearby hotel. Now, coming home from a semester abroad is a psychologically complicated event. By the time I left France, I was in "home mode"...I just wanted to be in my house in Albany, with my cat Lucy, and a homecooked, American meal, and my family. I just wanted to be home! I was truly heartbroken for a good ten minutes.

...And yet, somehow, seeing how angry all the passengers were made me think of this youtube clip called "Everything's Amazing and No One's Happy" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk). And I realized there were many worse problems I could be having. I decided I needed to embrace my overnight experience. So, on the taxi ride to the airport, I asked the driver what there was to do in Reykyavik. He told me we weren't in Reykyavik...we were actually in the sister city, Keflavik. He told me I absolutely had to go to the Blue Lagoon...the top Keflavik tourist attraction (ha). And magically, while I was in line at the hotel lobby, a father and son struck up a conversation with me and told me they were headed to this Blue Lagoon.

The father (John) and son (Erik) were actually heading back to Minneapolis, the other destination whose flight had already left. They told me the exact same thing had happened to Erik's sister awhile back, and she ended up having a great time. So I headed to the Blue Lagoon with them! Turns out, it is a geothemral bath that is extremely sulfuric and stays at about 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It was actually unbelievably relaxing and wonderful after the stress of traveling. There was also a swim-up bar. And the bartender had a mullet faux-hawk. And wore a girl's leotard with a bowtie. I could not stop thinking about how random the entire experience was. Also, on the taxi ride to and from the Lagoon, we observed the Icelandic landscape, and it is one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. It is basically completely made up of volcanic debris, so the entire landscape looks like the Apocalypse. Or the moon. The whole thing was so surreal. After the Lagoon, John and Erik invited me to go to dinner with them, so we went out to the harbor and had Icelandic seafood. The harbor was incredibly serene, and the restaurant was empty except for us! The food was delicious, and it was so much fun talking to the Minnesotans, who were quite interesting people. This annoying travel mix-up had turned into an almost-free mini-vacation! And I weirdly ended up really liking Iceland.

The next morning at the hotel's breakfast, I met an NYU student who had also been abroad, and we killed time together at the airport. Finally, our plane left, and six hours later, we touched down in New York...

1 Day

Well, this post is coming about three weeks too late, but the end of my stay and my return to New York have been such whirlwinds! I will divide up the events up until now into a few more posts before I wrap up this blog.

Anyways, on my last day in Paris, I spent most of the day wandering throughout the city with my friends Toni and Lizzy. We started out at Reid Hall and said goodbye to our little mini-campus. Then we ate one last Frenchy lunch (crêpes at a crêperie nearby). For the rest of the afternoon, we kept wandering to different sites in an attempt to do something Parisian on our last day. We went to the Tour Montparnasse, in order to ride the elevator to the top and see the view, but turns out it was 8 euros...not something we were about to spend money on on our last day. So we began to wander towards the Catacombs, a touristy site I still had never been to. When we got there, there was a sign up saying it was closed due to flooding! Finally, we decided to wander over to the Musée D'Orsay to see the "Crime and Punishment"-themed exhibit there. Upon arrival, we saw that it was closed!...for no apparent reason. Anyways, all of these accidents meant we ended up inadvertently wandering for the whole day, which is actually one of my favorite things to do in Paris and a lovely way to spend the last day. We ended by going to Place de la Concorde and Opéra.

At night, I had my last dinner with Jean Paul (and his granddaughter and his daughter-in-law), and then I finished packing and prepared for a day of travel. Au revoir, Pareee...

3 Days-2 Days

Well, I am writing this on my last full day in Paris...weird. I will post about that later in the day. For now, I am going to recap my days on Saturday and Sunday.

SATURDAY:
The 29th was a day of picnics!! I had been planning to go to a picnic held by Louis and Maggie (Panda's owners) in Buttes Chaumont, the park where I used to walk Panda. By coincidence, when I was in the Marais on Friday, my friends started mentioning how there was this park they kept meaning to go to, and they wanted to have a picnic there on Saturday...turns out it was Buttes Chaumont! So I had two picnics to go to that day. Unfortunately, the weather didn't comply. It rained on and off and in general it was cool and windy out. My friends decided to go through with the picnic, though, so we chilled out, ate, and watched little French kids and French dogs running around. Louis and Maggie moved their picnic to their apartment, which meant I got to relive a little bit of my stay in Belleville! I also got to see Panda and eat more! By the time I got home, I had quite a sugar crash. A wonderful day of picnics and goodbyes.

SUNDAY:
Yesterday, I started at Place de la Concorde and Tuileries gardens. I wanted to be there, at the heart of the city, one last time. I eventually wandered over to the Musée D'Orsay. Now, keep in mind, this was a Sunday. I generally try to avoid going to museums and tourist sights on Sundays, because the lines are about a million times longer. But this was my second to last day in Paris, and it's where I wanted to go! As I approached, the entire front of the museum was covered in SWARMS of people...I had NEVER seen it so crowded. And then suddenly I remembered something. My student ID here says that I am an art history major. The people at Reid Hall did that for situations just like this. I calmly walked past the hundreds of people in line, towards the entrance for "people with reservations," a line consisting of exactly 0 people. When I got inside, I strolled past the ticket booth line, and showed the ticket-takers my student ID. I have never felt like such a VIP. It was beautiful. And it was also nice to enjoy one last trip to the Musée. Afterwards, I strolled over to Les Halles and Place Pompidou, and I watched the acrobat performing on the street there. Overall, a nice day of Parisian wandering.

4 Days

Yesterday was quite the classic Parisian day. I started by going to lunch with a few friends at L'As du Falafel, which is famously the best falafel restaurant in Paris, located in the heart of the Jewish district. You can always identify it by the line of people out the door and the bright green facade.

Then we wandered around the area and looked in lots of vintage clothes shops (usually they were way artsy and expensive). Our friend Kyle then told us about something I had never even heard of before--Berthillon, the ice cream parlour where ice cream was INVENTED! And it was in walking distance, on Ile-St.-Louis. Berthillon was also identifiable by the long line outside:

And let me just say, this ice cream was. AMAZING. Amazing. We ate it while looking out across the Seine. It was pretty darn picturesque.
Now, even though we had just gotten ice cream, my friend Rebecca and I had been planning all day on going to Laduree, the famed patisserie known for having the best macarons in Paris. Now, first of all: macarONS in Paris are not at all like macarOONS in the states. Here is a picture of Parisian macarons:

The quest for the perfect macaron is much like the quest for the perfect cupcake in New York. Laduree comes pretty close to perfect. So, we decided to go to Laduree and stock up ("for later"). We walked along the Seine, waited in line (once again), and achieved success.
At night, I saw my first-cousin-once-removed, Christopher Fleischner, for dinner at his apartment. His partner Esther was at a conference in Copenhaagen, but it was really nice talking with him about Paris, America, and family history.
To wrap up the day, I met my friends again at the Eiffel Tower, where they were camped out with champagne. There is a really nice park leading up to the Eiffel Tower where you can sit and chill, which a bunch of people were doing last night. It was the last night (again) for several people, so we made toasts, talked about our time here, and just enjoyed ourselves.

Amen to a very, very Parisian day.

5 Days

So, last night, my friends and I had a goodbye celebration in the Marais. Our friend Lily is flying back today (Friday), and the rest of us are all leaving within the next few days. We had a lovely dinner at a French-Italian restaurant, which included this AMAZING fondant de chocolat:


Afterwards, we went to a bar in the Marais and enjoyed some beer and some conversation about how weird going back home will be (in both good and bad ways). We are all pretty curious about reverse culture shock. Here's part of the group:

It was a really nice evening, and a nice way to say goodbye to some friends.

6 Days

OK, so this post is coming a day late, but as of Thursday morning, I am officially DONE DONE DONE with my schoolwork this semester!! I took my Arts in Paris final yesterday, and I sent in my Jean Renoir essay today! It hasn't quite sunk in yet, but I am going to do my best to take advantage of my FREE TIME between now and Tuesday.

For the record, this was one longgggg semester. It lasted almost five whole months, as opposed to the three and a half month schedule at Columbia.

HOORAH!

7 Days (1 Week?!?)

So I spent my day today writing the rough draft of my Jean Renoir essay and doing all of the logistical work it takes to close my French bank account, wire money to the US, etc. I know, I know, it doesn't make for very exciting blogging! BUT, it DID make me feel very productive!!! Not gonna lie, I'm kind of going to miss dealing with strangers in French, in situations like this bank account stuff. It's always a challenge that I feel like I lived up to when I can communicate successfully and accomplish what I want. It's a little pleasure that just isn't there when you're speaking in your native tongue.

I did fit in one more goodbye, when I walked through the Jardin de Luxembourg today. Tomorrow will be my last day at Reid Hall, and it's supposed to rain then, so I figured I'd better do it today. As usual, it was gorgeous.

Also, as of about ten minutes ago, there is a summer thunderstorm here in Paris! If there's one thing I love, it's a good summer thunderstorm! It's so cozy and fun (when you're inside, that is). It's supposed to rain tomorrow too, which will be fitting for my final and (hopefully) last day of essay-writing.

A demain!

8 Days

Today was supposed to be a study/essay-writing day, but this summer weather is really preventing me from being a diligent student. I decided to have my lunch at Place Pompidou, a big wide-open area in front of the Pompidou Center, where street performers and artists congregate, and where there is always a lively spirit. While I was there, I couldn't miss the opportunity to go into the Museum one last time (I can't believe I am already at the stage of "last times"--eek!). I have really developed a love for and a keen interest in modern art throughout this semester. It's one that I really want to pursue back in the US as well, though I don't know exactly how yet. Anyways, the last thing we learned about in my Arts in Paris class was the Nouveau Réalisme movement ("New Realism"), so I focused my attention on that. It will be cool going back whenever I'm next in Paris (whenever that may be), with a new perspective (hopefully) on art. Goodbye, Pompidou!

9 Days

So, I spent most of my day studying for my Arts in Paris final. But it was actually pretty relaxing and wonderful. It was summery out, so I kept my giant, Parisian windows open all day, and a cool breeze wafted in, as did sounds of a little French kid's birthday party. Additionally, Arts in Paris ended up being one of my favorite classes this semester, so studying for the final was--dare I say it--kind of enjoyable.

Later in the day, I went to a free organ concert at St. Eustache. Wasn't a huge fan of the piece, but it is always pretty dramatic to hear that pipe organ fill the cathedral. Pretty cool.

In other news, Jean Paul is moving to another apartment this summer! So he has actually started packing for that. It feels a little weird, since I haven't started packing yet...

10 days

Alright, so on Saturday, with only 10 days left in France, I went to Versailles with my friends Toni and Rebecca. I had been to Versailles twice before--once when I was 14, and once in January. In the winter, there was a wonderful exhibition on Louis XIV, but the trade-off was that we couldn't appreciate the beautiful gardens. This time around, we made full use of the grounds. First of all, there was a lovely manmade pond where we rented a boat and rowed around. Here is the view above it all:

Here are some pictures from us boating:




There was also a labyrinthine maze of tall, tall shrubbery, very à la Triwizard Tournament. I kept expecting a dragon to jump out at us at any time. Instead, we kept happening upon beautiful fountains!

Eventually, we took a wrong turn and ended up in a dramatic, peaceful grove full of elm trees! We decided to sit down and rest there for awhile (which ended up turning into a nap).



We even made our way over to the "Queen's Hamlet," aka the little country house where Marie Antoinette would go when she wanted to "get away from it all." But alas, it was 6:00pm, and the house was closed. Overall, an amazing, summery day, though, even down to the trip home: turns out our RER train was canceled, so we stayed in town and had a classy dinner, then ended up accidentally taking a train home that took only 10 minutes!! (The way out took about 40.) Anyways, with only 10 days left, I consider this a day well spent.

Finished! (Kind of...)

Hooray, so I am done with my Jean Renoir final, which means that the hardest and most stressful parts of my workload (BY FAR) are done! I still have a final and a paper, but they will be much easier. I am celebrating the end of my film classes by going out to Iron Man 2 tonight...I feel that after watching 25 Jean Renoir films this semester, as well as 12 obscure, slow-paced films from the 1970s (all of them in French, with no subtitles, mind you), I deserve an action-packed, entertaining popcorn flick. Hear that, Robert Downey Jr.? You better live up to my expectations! Please be entertaining and good-looking for the full two hours! That's all I ask.

In other news, I only have 12 days left in Paris!!! I am starting to freak out about the diminishing amount of time left. Starting Saturday (the 10-day mark), I will post every day with a description of how I am taking full advantage of my last ten days here!!!

Things That Would Make My Jean Renoir Final Easier

1) If it weren't three hours long.
2) If it weren't in French.
3) If it were pass/fail (as opposed to for an actual grade-Reid Hall is one of the only study abroad programs that does this)
4) If I had the energy to study.
5) If it weren't at 8:30 am.

ARGH. Life will be so much better starting at 11:30am tomorrow!

Whew!

I am officially done with my most crazy and stressful day! Yesterday, I had to give a presentation in my Arts in Paris class (on the way Schoenberg influenced Kandinsky), and then straight from there, I had to go take my final exam for French Cinema in the 1970s (a three-hour long essay/dissertation). On top of that, the 1970s class was BY FAR my least favorite class of the semester. A bunch of us American students took it, and basically, the teacher was just horrible and made our lives as difficult as possible. Even our tutor at Reid Hall, who is ALSO a professor at Paris VII, could hardly contain his frustration with her. But it's all done now!! I still have two finals and one paper to go, but they won't be quite as bad.

In other news, it is exactly two weeks from today that I fly home! I have very mixed feelings about it. Overall, it has been an AMAZING time here, but at this point, I am very ready to head back to the good ol' US. I have talked to my friends here about it, and most of them feel the same. It has just been a long time to be away from our home country (5 whole months!), and longer than any semester at Columbia. I miss my US friends, family, and the comforts of being in my home country. That being said, I am starting to feel pressed that I only have two more weeks to fit in whatever Parisian things I want to do!! I need to make the most of my remaining time here!

When French Food Gets Too Frenchy...

So, my friends and I have a secret getaway when we start to get tired of crêpes, quiches, baguettes, omelettes, and cheese. It's called Higuma, and it is one of the best Japanese restaurants in Paris. And in fact, it's actually a not-so-secret getaway, as the line there always stretches around the corner. Here's a pic:

They have real Japanese ramen (or "lamen," as the translation reads on the menus), yaki-soba, delicious dumplings, and every salty, noodly food imaginable. We went last night, for our last excursion there while in Paris, and we feasted like only American-study-abroad-students-in-Paris can!

The Work Factor

Boo. So I have been able to get through enormous amounts of this semester in denial of any sort of schoolwork. Sure, there was a period of time in February when I had to study for midterms, and lightyears ago in January, I was studying the French language pretty avidly for my practicum course. But ever since about March, I've been coasting on the apathy of the Parisian university system and the generosity of the teachers at Reid Hall. When my sister and friends visited, I pretended it was vacation. When I was staying in Belleville, I pretended it was vacation. When my parents visited...you can see the trend. Then, for two weeks in April, it actually WAS vacation! But now...with three weeks left to my time in la gaie Paree, I am smacked in the face with three finals, one final paper, and one final presentation. Paris, I thought we had a pact.

What's worse, all of my friends at home are DONE with their finals and starting in on SUMMER! My last final is not until May 26.

And one more thing to whine about...apparently a normal part of the Parisian annual weather cycle is that is gets much colder in May right before it heats up for summer in June. There is a word for it and everything (although I forget it and will try very hard never to learn it again). Bring back Morocco weather!

That is all. Apart from these minor annoyances, things continue to go well.

MOROCCO!

So, last weekend, my friends and I went to Marrakesh. And let me tell you. It was AMAZING. After getting to know a city for several months that is quintessentially European, it was an unbelievable experience to explore a Muslim, North African city for the first time. Here are some of my favorite things about the city:

1) The main square (Dja el-Fnaa). They say that this square is what makes Marrakesh cooler than your average Moroccon city. The action starts after dark. There are rows upon rows of outdoor restaurants, fancy orange juice stands, and spice cake stands. What's more, as the sun sets, entertainers begin to pop up around the square and attract large crowds as they play music, tell stories, charm snakes, or perform magic tricks. Others set up shop in order to sell jewelry or henna tattoos. As you walk around, it is a sensory overload of sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. It is impossible to walk two steps without being addressed by a Marrakshi resident trying to sell you something, place a snake on your arm, get you to go to their restaurant, or give you directions (for a fee, of course). I have never experienced anything like it before, and I assume I never will anywhere else (not quite like this, anyways).

2) My hostel's roof. The hostel we stayed in was one of the only hostels directly in the middle of town. The old part of town mainly consists of souqs, which are basically passageways filled with vendors, that branch out from the main square. These souks redefine the word "labyrinthine," as they make no sense at all, have no names, and aren't even specified on maps! You really have to embrace getting lost. As you walk around, vendors will call out to you to get you to buy things. Apparently there are a high number of Spanish tourists, because the most frequent shout we got was, "Hola, Maria!!" Anyways, our hostel was located in the midst of this craziness, and one of the best places to hang out was the roof. There was a strange sense of tranquility, yet it still felt like the center of the world. Not to mention the Marrakshi roofscape is incredibly beautiful and makes me feel like I'm in Aladdin. Sadly, no one flew by on a magic carpet.

3)The Dutch students staying in our hostel. There was a group of about 40 of them, all in medical school together, taking a school-sponsored trip. We would always hang out and talk with them on the roof. They were the strangest people. They were all really skeptical of Moroccan culture and had the weirdest strong opinions. One time when my friend Lily stated this was her first time in Africa, a Dutch girl retorted with, "Well this isn't REAL Africa! I once spent a summer in Tanzania! That's REAL Africa!" Nevertheless, they gave us good advice on where to go and what to see. They also recommended us to the best orange juice stand in the main square--#49. When we went back, we quickly made friends with the vendor and returned every day.

4) Muslim culture. There is nothing like getting woken up at 5am every morning by a guy on a loudspeaker down the road chanting the call the prayer. We would then hear the loudspeaker four more times throughout the day. Islam permeates SO MUCH of their culture, which was interesting in so many ways. First of all, the architecture of the entire city was distinctly Muslim, and there were Mosques everywhere. Second of all, there were women in traditional Muslim dress everywhere (i.e. everything was covered except for their eyes). The entire gender dynamic was different--I thought that catcalls were worse in Paris, but they were nowhere near the level there. Most of all, it was so wonderful to see a perfectly normal, healthy, functioning city that is almost entirely Muslim. I feel like ever since 9/11, it is almost impossible to separate Islam and terrorism in our American minds, even when we know it's just a small percentage. Now, for the first time since I was 12, the first thing I will think of when I hear the word "Islam" is something other than Al Qaeda.

5) Tajine and couscous! Alright. I could not get enough. My friends and I would wake up and the first thing we would talk about was whether we would eat tajine or couscous that night for dinner. Then the debate would ensue all day. It would finally come down to the moment when we ordered. And we were never, not once, disappointed.

6) The warmth. It was in the 80s every day. We spent a large part of our days on the roof. I even kind of got a tan--which is a big accomplishment for me. On our way back to the airport, our cab driver told us we had come at the absolute best time of year. After April, it gets too hot, he said. But that weekend, the flowers were in bloom, the days were hot and the nights were cool, and there was a definite Moroccan magic in the air...

Day 7

Yesterday, I hit up several spots in the 7th and 16th arrondissements. I started with Hôtel des Invalides, which Louis XIV built as a hospital and church for soldiers. Now it houses Napoleon's tomb and the Musée de l'Armée. After that, I walked to the base of the Eiffel Tower and crossed the Seine to sit out at Jardins du Trocadero. Inside the Palace there is the Musée de l'Architecture, which tracks French buildings from the Middle Ages till the 20th century. Finally, I went over to the Fondation Le Corbusier. Anyone who has taken Art Hum. has learned about him, but he was basically the Frank Lloyd Wright of France, in the sense that he completely changed French architecture at the beginning of the 20th century. Here are some pics from the house I got to walk through (built in the 1920s):





Throughout the day, I also got to see lots of Art Nouveau building facades (these parts of Paris are known for them). Here are some of the highlights:

Day 6--Holy Wednesday

So today, I decided to make the rounds at a bunch of churches in the 5th and 6th arrondissements. I actually started with the biggest and best-known church of all, the Notre Dame on Ile-de-la-Cité (in the 1st). It really is magnificent and pictures can never capture it, but here are just a couple to show the amazing Gothic architecture.




Directly across the river are St. Julien-le-Pauvre, one of the oldest churches in Paris, and St. Séveren, another gothic showpiece.
You can see how simple St. Julien-le-Pauvre looks in comparison:

My favorite part of Séverin were actually the modern stained-glass windows.


Another extremely impressive sight is the Panthéon. It was ordered by Louis XV to be built as a church, but later on, it was converted into a tomb for important French people (Rousseau, Voltaire, etc.). Here are some inside shots:




Last of the churches were St. Sulpice (neo-Classical) and St. Germain-des-Prés (THE oldest church in France). There are seriously SO many churches to see around Paris, and it always reminds me what a historically rich city Paris is in general. The churches really define Paris as a city entirely different from any American city.

Day 5--The Marais

For those of you who don't know Paris well, the Marais is a very particular quartier. The word "marais" literally means "swamp," because when Paris was first settled, that's what it was. Throughout the years it has been the Jewish ghetto and a hip spot in the 1600s for wealthy people to build mansions. Now it is the Jewish, gay, and VERY hip quarter--as they say in French, it is "un mélange." It is also where my family stayed when we visited Paris four years ago, and where my parents stayed last week, so it has a special place in my heart.

Today I went back to the Marais to check out two museums and two churches I hadn't been to yet. First was Musée Carnavalet, housed in an old hôtel (mansion). It's a museum of the history of Paris, and there are lots of rooms recreated from different periods in Paris's history. Here are some of the prettier ones (couldn't resist the harp shots):



I must admit, the whole ordeal was a bit of a race to get to the Art Nouveau rooms. True to form, they didn't disappoint. My pictures don't really do it justice, but here was a room for a jewelry store, 100% Art Nouveau:





Afterwards, I went to the Musée Cognacq-Jay, also housed in an hôtel in the Marais. It was a rich couple's personal collection in the early 1900s, kept as they displayed it in the hôtel when they lived there! It was cool, although fairly modest compared to some of the stuff I've been seeing.

Before returning from my venture, I looked in St. Paul and St. Gervais. St. Paul is a dramatic Jesuit church with chandaliers on the inside! Here are a couple of pics:


St. Gervais is much more standard Gothic style, but it had some pretty cool modern stained glass windows:


With travel still messed up across Europe, I'm feeling pretty good about my decision to stay in Paris.

Trapped in Paris! Day 4

So yesterday, I started by taking Panda on a couple of walks, of course. However, the past few days, her walks have been different. Suddenly, it actually feels like SPRING outside. And not just tentative April spring--now it is actually HOT when we are walking, and the park is filled to the brim with people! I have decided that walking through parks is where you can catch people at their happiest. It's a slice of humanity truly enjoying itself.

In the afternoon, I decided to venture to Montmartre, a quartier I don't know very well. Of course, I had to go to the main attraction there, Sacre Coeur.



Afterwards, I went to a lesser-known church that literally stands in Sacre Coeur's shadow--St. Pierre, one of the oldest churches in Paris. In addition to becoming an Art Nouveau and Art Deco nerd, I am quickly becoming a nerd about church architecture and history. This one was apparently built on the sight of a Roman temple in the 12th century (as opposed to Sacre Coeur, which was built in the early 20th century). I particularly like the Beauty-and-the-Beast-style stained glass windows, which were made after the original windows were broken during WWII. Here's a pic:


I also checked out two museums I've been meaning to get to: Espace Salvador Dali, and Halle St. Pierre. The Dali museum was a bit of a disappointment--it was mostly sculptures he had made in the 1970s and 1980s depicting objects and characters he had already depicted in paintings. Here are a couple:



Halle St. Pierre was a bit more interesting. It is a museum of "Art Brut," which basically means any art that wouldn't usually be accepted by society. It's an idea that the French artist Jean Dubuffet came up with in the 1950s. The current exhibition was artwork by Japanese artists, most of which are patients at mental institutions. Knowing that the artists had been diagnosed with psychiatric issues made looking at the artwork really interesting. Sometimes it was clear what the artists' obsessions were, sometimes the art seemed really elementary, and sometimes it just seemed like normal, beautiful artwork! It was interesting how much it changed my thought process by knowing the history behind these. A lot of the "elementary" ones did look like other modern art, so who are we to say that this art is any less worthy? On the other hand, was the whole idea of the exhibition a bit condescending? Overall, it was really interesting, and I found myself having strong emotional reactions to some of the art.

And last but not least--I went to Cemetière de Montmartre, where several famous people are buried. Not to sound morbid, but French cemetaries are actually really cool--so many of the graves are actually little chapels for entire families, so it's a little like walking down a row of miniature houses! The grave I really wanted to see was Francois Truffaut's. It was a simple, small grave, and I would have missed it if not for the map I had. It was pretty moving being there and seeing the flowers people still left for him and everything. Anyways, overall, a good day in Montmartre!

Trapped in Paris! Day 3

So, back in January, I met up with a girl named Fanny for a drink. Fanny is Parisian, but is spending a year teaching and studying at Harvard. She's friends with my sister there, so when she was on vacation back in Paris, we met up and had a drink. Then a few days ago, she emailed me to try to get me in touch with more French people. She told me about a barbecue that her boyfriend was hosting, and that his sister (who is my age and loves film) would be there. So, on a whim, I went, and it was actually quite fun! There were a bunch of French people there, but also an Australian, a couple of Italians, another American, and a girl from Colombia! It was fun hearing about everyone else's experiences, why they were in France, etc. I am also proud to say that I was not the worst French-speaker there! The Australian had a French boyfriend, but had been living in France for a year and a half and still barely knew any. The Italians spoke good French, but I was able to keep up. The bbq was also fun because it was out in the banlieus (suburbs), so he was renting a HUGE, beautiful house with three other friends. There was an actual back yard where we could sit on the grass and out on patio furniture! So anyways, it was a random endeavor, but it turned out to be very fun!

Later in the evening, I had dinner with my friend Jill. She's studying in Aix-en-Provence, but was also stuck in Paris due to the volcano ash! She had been traveling for several days beforehand, and had been stuck in Brussels at the time of the volcano, but took a train to Paris while she still couldn't get home. SO MANY people that I know have been affected by this volcano! It's such a weird phenomenon!

Volcano Ash! Trapped in Paris!

So, I rarely fly. In fact, I am trying hard to think back on how many flights I've taken in my life, and I believe it is 12. However, I had a flight scheduled to go to Prague for spring break on Friday, 4/16. The day of my 13th flight, a volcano erupted, and the biggest disruption of air traffic in history ensued! My timing was impeccable. On top of that, because this is France, the train workers are on strike! Instead of taking an overnight bus, I decided to embrace my time in Paris and still treat it as a spring break. (I am also still responsible for dogsitting Panda--the people who were supposed to fly in from America and take up my post are now trapped in America.) So I am going to use the blog to chronicle my day-to-day while I'm "trapped in Paris"!

Day 1, Friday, 4/16:
-I went to the Petit Palais, where there is currently an exhibit on Yves Saint Laurent. Here is the outside of the building:

Unfortunately, pictures were prohibited, but here are some of the dresses I saw:




Then, I walked around the Petit Palais permanent collection (Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris). It was tiny, but nice, and there was a beautiful café and courtyard within.

Day 2, Saturday, 4/17:

I went to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which is housed in a wing of the Louvre. I am becoming a big Art Nouveau and Art Deco nerd, and trying to get to everywhere in the city that I can find good examples. The musée didn't disappoint. They had several rooms completely decked out in these styles, so I could totally feast my eyes. Here are some pics from the museum's website:
(Art Nouveau)

(Art Nouveau)

(Art Deco)


After that, I wandered around several parts of the 1st arrondissement I hadn't been to. Here are some pics from the Jardins du Palais Royal:
(First one is controversial modern art)

(Second one is more enjoyable modern art)


I also wandered to a church there, and some fancy shopping areas:
(Here is a baroque ceiling in the cathedral St. Roch)

(Here is a fancy gallerie filled with shops and cafés)


So despite being sad that I can't make it to Prague or Budapest this week, I am delighted that I am making the best of my time here. More updates to come!